The Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF)-AACR NextGen Grant for Transformative Cancer Research In Honor OF Nancy E. Davidson, MD represents the AACR’s flagship funding initiative to stimulate highly innovative research from young investigators. This grant mechanism is intended to promote and support creative, paradigm-shifting cancer research that may not be funded through conventional channels. It is expected that these grants will catalyze significant scientific discoveries and help talented young investigators gain scientific independence. The proposed project may be basic, translational, clinical, or population-based research in nature and have direct applicability and relevance to breast cancer.

2026 Grantee

Scientific Statement of Research

Exciting therapeutic advances are reshaping the triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) treatment landscape, yet achieving durable responses remains a challenge. Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) are emerging as a critical piece of this puzzle, as these immunosuppressive cells suppress anti-tumor immunity and may undermine long-term treatment benefit. Strategies to reprogram TAMs toward anti-tumor phenotypes have shown promise, but tumor cell-intrinsic resistance mechanisms blunt their efficacy. In this project, Dr. Wang will investigate how tumor cell RNA sensing and metabolic reprogramming constrain TAM-mediated anti-tumor responses, and test whether simultaneously disrupting tumor cell defenses and reprogramming TAMs can synergistically enhance anti-tumor immunity in preclinical TNBC models. This work will establish a framework linking tumor cell-intrinsic vulnerabilities with extrinsic immune activation, laying the foundation for new combination strategies that could transform long-term outcomes in this devastating disease.

Biography

Dr. Wang received his doctoral degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, studying cell death and chronic inflammation in vascular diseases. He completed postdoctoral training at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute/Harvard Medical School, focusing on the intersection of immunotherapy and targeted therapy, and developing strategies to harness macrophage anti-tumor potential to overcome therapeutic resistance in breast cancer. He is currently an Assistant Professor of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cancer Biology at the University of Virginia, where his laboratory investigates how tumors evade immune surveillance and how to restore anti-tumor immunity.

Statement of Support

“I am truly honored to receive the BCRF-AACR NextGen Grant. As an early career investigator, this vital support will accelerate my research on anti-tumor immunity in breast cancer with the depth and ambition this work requires, enabling me to pursue transformative therapeutic strategies and advance findings toward meaningful impact for patients.”